Reality Crisis

It was just like the first cataclysm. Buildings disappearing, bringing people on the street nearby with them. Not to mention the people inside. The casualties were huge. And given the tiny population on this world, Belia wasn't sure that their race could survive much more.

On a more personal level, she was blocking out memories of that first disaster and all it had claimed of hers. A husband, children, a life that was so alien to her that it must have been someone else living it. Belia Ohorek certainly wasn't that woman anymore.

No, she'd bartered away much in the way of her humanity and beliefs in fighting tooth and nail to ensure that her people survived. She had no regrets but that didn't mean that she particularly enjoyed what she'd become. Or what had become of her life.

She spent as little time as possible musing on such thoughts and instead went into action. The cities they'd all built in this area were no longer secure. Once the reality started ripping apart, they would have to move on and find a more stable spot and hope that the tears didn't catch up with them again. All the while knowing that it was just a matter of time. They could buy themselves days or weeks, possibly even months, if they moved fast enough.

She sent out messengers to Sanctuary and New Troy and even requested that the Superboy try to find Jackson. If anyone could help them find a new home, it would be Jackson.

And then she waited.

There had been big events since he'd gotten to the planet, things that could be considered cataclysmic, but not until now was there something that actually provoked terror in his citizens. They were in a frenzy, he could smell their fear. There was a line of day workers waiting for him when he got up, eager to tell him what was going on, and get him to help.

Eric made them wait until after he'd eaten, and then he called them in. All at once, so that he didn't have to wait for a line, though he could pinpoint the mistake shortly after he'd made it. They didn't' all try to talk at the same time, which they clearly understood would only enrage him, but they did all press against his desk and look at him as if he was supposed to save the world. He supposed he might forgive them for that later, when there wasn't panic stirring them up. He'd made things better for them, after all.

"What do you mean, disappeared." He glared at the speaker, a young woman who was clutching at her own hands.

"Vanished." Her voice was small.

"Not fell down, not was hit by something, but actually vanished." He wanted to clarify.

"Yes, sir. Just gone. Several of them. And.. people."

"Who is missing?"

"We don't know yet."

"Go get a count. I want a full head count. And for fuck sake, get people out of the area. Nobody should be near it. Find whatever places seem the most stable, and get everyone there immediately. If more seems like it's going to happen, fucking move."

Eric couldn't believe he actually had to say these words.

"GO." He hit the desk and scattered them.

The sharing of Melody had been a good amount of fun, and nothing that Eric would forget any time soon. He'd not really realized what it meant to be with the living vampire, really be with her, even though he had known what her particular ability was. How could he not? She'd raised every dead in New Troy all by herself. It was an experience he'd not expected. Feeding off her, and feeling her feed off of him in return. Knowing that death was not around the corner for the girl, even though she was human. The mixture of the three of them, that was just a bomb waiting to go off. Before they were done, he knew every line and curve of Melody almost as well as he knew Pam. Almost.

But he could see that Pam had something on her mind, so as soon as the girl fell asleep, he spoke to his progeny in a voice so low that only she would hear. To make extra sure, he also spoke in an ancient language that their third party could never have learned on her own.

"There's something wrong, Pam. Shall we go somewhere else and speak? Let the poor girl rest a while? We've still got time before the sun rises."

Most would expect the two women would be busy working up a bit of power swap, pushing Melody's boundaries as far as control went while she lost control. Many in the house had gotten quite used to the pair making all sorts of noises, locked away in the petite vampire's room. Yet, what they couldn't seem to get used to were those times when there was little more noise than the flipping of a page.

Pam sat quietly near her mutant. Her hands held a copy of what was called a graphic novel, and she was currently reading over something that seemed...interesting. She'd yet to bring it to Mel's attention; frankly she wasn't sure she was ready for any drama or other reaction that might come from the revelation.

Mel had been allowed certain books - Pam did not let the woman into the library. She didn't think Eric would appreciate it. But, Pam did find a few books on genetics and death that she felt the woman would like or find somewhat interesting.

Pam's blond head rested on Mel's shoulder as they read. Or as Mel read and Pam thought through what she wanted to do with the information she had in her hands. The two women probably looked like two young women studying for school rather than two dangerous killers who could take lives so very easily.

Belia's people had had a difficult few days. She had just now ensured that the cracks in the walls were at least temporarily guarded so her people could be safe. It wasn't perfect and it wasn't a forever fix, unfortunately. But it was enough that she could leave temporarily. As much as she might hate leaving die Festung, it needed to be done in the moment.

She'd heard quite a bit about the new leader of New Troy but hadn't yet had the chance to meet him. This had been by design because of course she'd heard the rumors about what he'd done to poor, if deserving, Dr. Lucius. She had no sorrow for the man's seemingly well-deserved ending, but a sense of self preservation had kept her away from the neighboring community until now.

Now, however, things had changed. The earthquakes had changed the landscape and had made everything less stable. Her wall was the most obvious symptom of this, but there were other small indicators. It might not be safe in this area anymore.

Either way, Belia felt that it was her duty to reach out to the neighboring community and see how they had fared in all of this. Perhaps the quakes had only been within her walls, but she felt as though that couldn't be the case.

So she took an envoy of armed guards and made her way across the ruins to New Troy. She'd sent a messenger ahead, though the messenger only preceded her by an hour or so. It would have to be enough time since there were no reliable means of conversation outside of that. At least, none that joined die Festung and New Troy.

Her people slowed as they reached the gate to New Troy. Though they were armed, their hands remained visible and empty as a show that no aggression was meant. Belia stepped in front of her men and nodded to Eric's guards.

"Belia Ohorek of die Festung and delegation, here to see our leader if he'll have us."

The niceties were observed. Whether she liked it or not, this was Eric's territory at the moment.

The first tremors hadn't bothered Eric much. It was the ones that followed that had him worried. He managed to get himself up and moving, out of the hiding spot deep inside the house he'd taken over. The staff were all shocked to see him, he'd never been out in the day before. They scurried to close the shutters that would protect him from the sun that blazed outside.

He knew that he was going to pay for this act with the bleeds, but he had to take care of his city and his citizens. They were what was important.

"Find Aidan Waite." He said to the first staff member he could catch. "Tell him to come here immediately."

"He's already here, sir." The thin man said. "He showed up after the first quake."

And it was only seconds before the daywalking vampire appeared before him. Eric found himself very grateful that the man was around. He'd seemed nothing more than a nuisance prior to this, even with the destruction of the Wendigo. Now, the Viking was glad that there was somebody like him that could direct the people beyond these walls.

He didn't let the vampire nurse speak. "I want you to gather the people and take them to where the arena used to be. Don't let them gather their belongings. I want every single one counted for at the end of this."

Aidan nodded and left again. Eric returned his gaze to the skinny man he'd been talking to before. "Go very carefully into Pam's room and get Melody. I want her out there with Aidan. Tell her I'll make sure that Pam is okay."

Eric shooed the man away and began to usher the rest of the staff out of the house. He'd done what he could when he'd taken over to fix the buildings of New Troy, but he couldn't say for sure that they wouldn't fall down around his ears. That was something he personally could survive. His staff would not. He would keep only one around to be a runner for him, since he could not walk outside. Since he'd already employed the thin male, that's who he would continue to use.

There wasn't a lot that Eric could do aside from sit in the living room/waiting room area and wait for updates on what was happening on the other side of the door. Some had been injured, he was told, but all were accounted for. Buildings were falling apart, he was told. One garden patch of crops lost to a sinkhole that also damaged a nearby wall. The animals were rescued and in the ex-arena space with everybody else, though one herd had been crushed.

The bleeds came, and Eric could see the fear in the man's eyes about what was happening. Eric hated having to assure anybody, but the man's continued sanity was very important at the moment. He explained as briefly as he could.

It seemed to take longer than ever for night to fall. As soon as it was dark enough, Eric woke Pam and John and together they went to where the citizens of New Troy were being kept safe. Aidan and Melody were there, the girl looked as if she'd been rolling around in the dirt. His people were concerned, afraid. Some were crying. The end of the earthquakes seemed to take longer to arrive than then night had. Eric didn't dare to do anything until they were over.

When they were, he sent Pam and John to begin cleanup of the buildings. Repairing what they could. He sent Aidan to assess the wall damage, and Mel to make absolutely sure that the only deaths were the livestock.

He addressed New Troy, assuring that everything would be fixed, doing his best to calm them all. Then he left, to meet up with Aidan and fix the one thing that was most important after his citizens. The structure that protected all of them from the things on the other side.

Eric was finally fed up and annoyed with himself and the way that he was avoiding the progeny he so desired to save. He had kept his distance from her because he hadn't known what to say, and he had no idea how to stop the future that he had seen in the dream. It had made him very cranky, turned his mood dark and foul, and made him snappish at the staff. But all his searching had turned up no hint of what might be coming, why, or how he could stop it.

He realized that he was going to have to just stay vigilant and make sure that he was there to help her when she needed it. If she called for him, he would appear, no matter what he was doing or when she called. He would not lose her. He refused.

The first step in that, however, was talking to her and letting her know exactly what had been going on. He was sure that Pam would know that it was not her that he was upset about. At least, not her directly, not something that she had done or said to make him angry. He always let her know right away if that were the case.

She deserved to know the truth of the matter. If that meant he had to reveal what he would seen, then he would. If that meant that he had to ask for her forgiveness, he would do that, too. While Eric was a strong man, and often a bullheaded man, he could admit when he was wrong, and he could apologize.

"Find Pam. Tell her I would like to see her." He could have, of course, called to her silently and she would have come. But he wanted her to be here of her own choice, and the call was not something she could ignore. If she decided that she would see him, then he would be glad. If she was still not ready, he would have to understand. Either way, he would not be using the bond they had of maker and progeny to facilitate his need to talk.

Aidan left die Festung with a heaviness that was just a little bit lighter than it had been before. Dean hadn't killed him. Had not, in fact, seemed like that's what he wanted to do. Had, in fact, let him speak to Fred to relay the instructions of what to do for Sam instead of them being written down.

While he knew that he wasn't going to be able to go back to life the way that it had been, probably ever, or even go back to something resembling it any time soon, Aidan was okay with it. Dean was recovering from the shock of what Aidan was. They would need to have a talk about it, maybe. A long one. Maybe a fight. Probably not a physical fight. Not now that Dean knew what Aidan was and was aware of the strength. Or maybe there would be.

The vampire knew that he couldn't put his life in New Troy on hold while he waited for Dean to come around. He had responsibilities at the hospital, and he had friends that he had made here. It would be rude and a disservice to everybody if he let it fall to the wayside.

Briefly, he wondered why New Troy and die Festung didn't pool resources and become one city. Given the power between the two, they could be a formidable army of sorts. And who knew what was out there in the world, beyond the ruins and the forest?

One of the most important tasks that Aidan had was dispatching the thing that had been taking citizens of New Troy. He still didn't know exactly why he hadn't been allowed to take Pam or John with him, which would have made the job easier, but he knew better than to question the older vampire on such matters. Eric had his reasons, and those were not for Aidan to hear. Apparently.

He waited in the living room of the grand house while the sun set. It was still a bit strange for him to be on this schedule with the others, but if he wanted to talk to Pam or John at all, he had to be awake when they were. Mostly that meant overnights and swing shifts at the hospital. Sleeping where he could catch a nap. Not having a set routine.

The life of a nurse, really.

( Chatty vampires )

One or two losses was just the natural cycle of things. Even in a life where everything was perfectly normal and the only dangers that there were for humans was their own stupidity and that of others. It was expected to have a couple of them go missing, or die, or have bad accidents, or all of the above. Sometimes it even happened in short order. They would drop like flies for a couple of months, then everything would even out.

So when it was reported that a couple of his own citizens vanished, Eric wasn't truly worried. He consoled the friends and family of the lost ones, arranged for whatever they needed, and went on with his own business.

But when a third, in a short time, and then a fourth, not long after, also went missing, his concern grew. That couldn't just be coincidence. It wasn't just a bundle of bad luck. Especially not when certain things were taken into account. All the disappearances seemed to happen the exact same way. On top of that, they were all disappearances. No bodies. No sign of what had happened. That didn't sit right with him.

It became clear to Eric that he needed to start an investigation into the matter.

Eric normally slept quite peacefully. This day, his slumber was disturbed by strange dreams that didn't feel exactly like dreams. They felt like he was living them. They weren't of his past, which would have made more sense, given the overreaching feeling he was getting. They certainly weren't of the present.

Because Pam was dead.

He felt the hole that had opened up when she'd been taken from him. He felt the vast loneliness of a world that didn't include his progeny. John was still out there somewhere, he knew that much. But John had not been his for very long, and certainly wasn't his favorite. It had taken him a very long time to find the right person to bring into his world, and she had been his companion for a very long time. She was very special.

It enraged him that he was without her. That somebody had taken her away.

Eric realized that he was standing over a table and speaking to somebody. He glanced down to see that the table held a map. Not very detailed, but enough for him to know what was going on. His finger was on the spot where die Festung would be. His anger seemed to be aimed there, though he couldn't say if there was the original cause for it. It was just where he would direct his ire for the time being.

He looked up again, leaning forward to get a better look at the being on the other side of the table, and it wasn't at all who he expected it to be. Not John standing there, but Melody. Pam's human. The living vampire. She had a dark look about her. A determination that he hadn't known the fragile thing could carry with her. She was nodding at something that he had said.

Her arms lifted a bit, like she was presenting something to him. He looked on either side of her and saw them advancing. More zombies. He was about to be angry with her for doing such a foolish thing again, but the creatures halted when she lowered her arms. Instead of yelling at her, he watched. When she directed, they listened. And it sounded like they were saying her name.

"...as many as you need, I can make." Her voice sounded in his ears and Eric figured that he must have asked her how big the pack of them were.

It took him no time at all to figure out what was going on. He was getting ready to wage a war, and he was using Melody to create the soldiers. A band of already dead soldiers that would not only scare the living shit out of those they were attacking, but could be sent to whatever destination they were needed at by one simple command. And it wasn't like they would run out of bodies to reanimate.

Eric looked into the pair of dark pools that were Melody's eyes. "And you can control them? All of them?"

"I just need to give them the command to attack, they won't waver from that. I don't have to go anywhere near the battle."

"Good." He didn't want to risk her, and not just because she was one of the only two links that he had to his lost child, but also because she was highly useful.

Despite the sun still being up, Eric's eyes woke in the blackness that was his day spot. He could hear the sounds of the house moving around him. The staff going about their routines. But most importantly, he could still feel Pam.

Tony was nowhere to be found. Natasha wasn't sure if he'd just gone into hiding in light of the zombie attack or if he was working on something. She wasn't to the point of concern just yet, though she might get there eventually. Not that the assassin would admit to concern for one of her teammates. That would be too close to attachments. Which would be dangerous.

She would never admit that her time with SHIELD had begun to change her and her time with the Avengers even more so. No, it was easier to keep her distance and keep her walls up.

Speaking of attachments that she would never admit to... she was currently seeking her sometime partner. Before the zombies had become an issue, she'd had a plan to go back to New Troy and make sure she met the leader this time. She'd gotten the tour from the superpowered kid who was a little too freshfaced and naive for someone with the powers of a demigod, but this time she wanted the chance to get the measure of the man who ran that city. And after that, she fully intended to head to Sanctuary and check out the political situation there as well. She needed to know who the players were before she figured out how to play the game here.

There were a few places that she thought she might find Clint. If not their quarters, he might be training in the sparse gym that this town had to offer. Or eating. Or in a bar somewhere, chatting up one of the local women. He did have a knack for blowing off steam that sometimes she envied. Sometimes.

Pam had found herself very distracted by a recent addition to their home. Of course, she was risking getting her head handed to her by Eric, but she hadn't let much slip in her responsibilities. Mainly, she'd done a little less reading, a few reports. Everything else, the other pieces of running of a city had not fallen by the wayside. The petite vampire didn't know how long she'd enjoy the mutant woman's company, so she wouldn't let herself get killed for a nice piece of genetically enhanced...well, it was all very nice.

She decided to make up some reports time by locking herself away in the library. She had suggested to Melody that she might want to find a certain blond, built like the All American boy who sounded too much the Southern gentleman. While Pam was wearing the good pastor down, saying "no" to a living song of death may be much harder.

With a stretch much more animal than human, the small vampire climbed out of the large chair she'd claimed for her research, put the book away, gathered her notes, and walked toward her Maker's office to deposit the delayed research. She wondered when she would hear about her dalliances, or the effects they were having on her work. She'd let Eric know that there was a new warm body in the house, not once thinking that the mutant would want to kill any of them. Then again, they did have a few trusted/glamoured humans to make sure they didn't meet their final death during the day.

"Eating before feeding seems a little backwards," Pam said, finally addressing her Maker and the volunteer he was currently latched on to. It was probably rude to simply stand there as Eric fed, but he wasn't exactly doing anything she hadn't seen before. She held up the energy bar wrapper the volunteer must have let fall on Eric's desk.

Eric generally left his progeny to do as they pleased, though in this world he took to checking up on them here and there, just in case. They were all facing things that they'd never encountered, and he was very protective of those that he had made into vampires. When he was sure both Pam and John were alright and keeping themselves busy, he wandered outside of the city.

Most of his attention as of late had been within the walls, and he wanted to see what was happening on the other side. He'd not been to dF since he'd saved the female, and there were things that he still had on his mind to do. Meet the Belia woman, for one. Find a way to attract more of the die Festung citizens to his own city, for another. He had to see what they had and what they didn't. What they were wanting for. On ego alone, Eric thought that New Troy was superior, but he needed it to be that way in reality in order to tempt new faces.

While his previous fly-over had told him that structurally and organizationally New Troy was the better of the two, it told him nothing of the community, nor the food and medicine stores. He'd gotten a big stockpile after the business with the City, there was no reason that dF had not seen a similar gift. If they'd gotten anything better than he had, he was going to be annoyed.

He, again, made his approach from above, scanning the streets for anybody who looked interesting.

There had been some help from those who lived in New Troy, but Eric had done much by himself. He could work longer and at a pace that the humans could not. Even if they'd been in peak shape and pristine health, they would have never been able to keep up with him. He wasn't angry about it in the least. They did what they could. They did it without complaint, too, which was important. He knew that many of them wanted to see the Arena return to the way it had been, with the fights.

It took weeks to accomplish, even so.

But now he stood before the vast empty space where the Arena had once stood. It would be converted into a farm, he'd decided. They'd expand what they had been growing and look outside of the walls for other things they might add. One portion of it was to be devoted to animals, livestock of various sorts, so that they might begin breeding in greater numbers without the worry of where to keep them all. The animals ready for slaughter would go to the smaller shelters dotted around New Troy to await their fate. Eric felt this system would help to put his citizens at ease when it came to food supply.

They really needed to start eating more.

The brick and concrete that had come from the arena were now a part of the wall, making it thicker and higher than it had been before. There were bits scattered about helping to reconstruct some of the homes and other buildings within the gates, but they'd already done much to improve all that and the majority went to the outward protection. With some of the excess, Eric had instructed they create an outbuilding for vehicles. Connected to the main part of the wall and with a great set of doors that could be locked and barricaded, one set on either side of the parking area. This way nobody had to be standing by to open the gates, or be left in the open while the scavengers made their way back inside. The majority of New Troy could be kept locked until it was time to bring things in. The vehicles would stay protected when not in use, and the city would stay protected at all times.

He could still smell the blood, sweat, and death that the Arena had caused. It lingered in the dirt here, and Eric didn't think that it would go away - at least for his senses and those of the other vampires - for a long time. Not even with tilling the earth and planting new crops.

But, in the end, he felt much better without the fighting pit there. It was no longer an eyesore and a reminder of what had been done to him.

John woke up to the amazingly powerful scent of dirt, and a crushing darkness and weight. He moved his arms impulsively, finding whatever was keeping him down was shiftable, and instinctively started digging and clawing to what some part of him knew to be upwards. A panic that he wasn’t able to breathe spurred him onwards, moving as fast as possible, and quickly his fingers broke through and into air, and he clawed his way out of the dirt. As he found himself in fresh air he inhaled sharply, spitting out some soil and crawling until he was on firm, unshifted earth.

He shook his head and quickly wiped his eyes clean, mind racing and reeling simultaneously. Survival focused him on his surroundings, and he lifted his head. The scent of wherever he was was amazing, as was the detail his eyes were catching and the sounds finding their way into his ears. He was definitely in a night-set forest, but it was a completely new forest he was quite sure he’d never seen before.

Next his mind went to his physical well being. Apart from needing to focus on keeping his breathing steady and continuous he didn’t seem to be harmed. He wasn’t even feeling pain from being deprived of oxygen for so long. In fact, as his mind slowed and sharpened he realized that aches and pains that had bothered him for years were gone. He felt... fantastic.

He blinked, looking down at himself, then slowly shook out his clothes and hair, the soil that fell seeming louder but not heavier than usual.

The pastor lifted his gaze then, and suddenly his eyes fell on a figure standing just above him that he hadn’t noticed before. Eric.

In a flash the last memories before he passed out flashed before his eyes, and nearly electrified the Texan, who leapt to his feet and back a ways, stumbling from a speed he wasn’t used to.

“What happened?” he demanded, voice slightly higher pitched from stress and fury. He looked around for Pam, as if she were trying to get the jump on him from behind, and then his gaze went down to the turned earth that, strangely enough, he could smell Eric on. And himself. He blinked a few times, trying to work it out, his mind steadfastly ignoring the obvious truth. “Where are we?”

( --- )

John couldn’t tell if he was grateful to be back on the dead world or not. On one hand, he didn’t like being yanked back and forth. On the other, life had been much more modern, comfortable, and safe seeming back in the City. On the first, it wasn’t as difficult to carve out a place for himself here as it was there. And it seemed that this place needed him more, even if those here didn’t like him.

After a short time reaffirming his duty schedule and the layout of die Festung, John had decided to go on a trip. He’d heard of the other major city, New Troy, and had felt some curiosity towards the place. but since coming back to this world the curiosity and urge to go see it had started to increase steadily. John didn’t think that was too odd. It was probably just going to the City, then being returned that made him curious as to what other locations might be around here.

So, after putting together a supply bag and hiking out through the woods, John came upon the other City, and after gaining entry he looked around, interest perked. He’d heard the place had run some gladiator-type games in the past, using the Chosen as contestants. But apparently it was under new management, though he hadn’t heard much about who ran things here now.

He’d misjudged how long it took to get here, but it was still only just dark as he walked down what appeared to be the main street, wondering how difficult it would be to secure a roof for the night. He pulled the bag up on his back a little higher, investigating the town a bit before he picked a place to try and find shelter.

( - - - )

(Warning: The vampires do get a little *ahem* rambunctious and/or randy. They start getting to know each other rather well.)

Pam had been exploring again, and after meeting a stranger and checking on a few of her maker's subjects, she decided to come home again. She always came home. Or returned to her maker. She always came back, and she supposed that was how things were supposed to be at first.

She was smiling when she entered the Eric's home, but she didn't smile for long. The staff seemed a little bothered by her appearance. One even looked as if he was about to be hit for something. The petite vampire looked him over a little confused; she didn't intend on hitting anyone, not yet anyway.

"What?" She waited for some answer, and for the human, it meant that she would just stare. There was no expression than the one she'd given to begin with when she asked the question.

The human pointed in the direction of what she supposed was her bedroom, blinking. She stared a few more moments, checking to see that her maker was indeed in the house, and then turned to check on her bedroom. She moved quickly and came to a dead stop as she smelled something odd on the other side of the door. It wasn't right.

After the visit with the girl, Eric found himself wondering about what was going on in this new world of his. Things hadn't exactly been perfect before, but it seemed like they were becoming less and less so as time went on. He had hoped for the opposite. He had been working for the opposite. New Troy was in better condition than had been before he'd taken over. The people were looking healthier - despite some of the regular donations they made. They seemed to be happier as well, with only the odd comment now and then about how they missed the arena fights. To Eric's ears, they seemed to be more on the side of entertainment loss than the bloodthirsty need they'd expressed before.

But this was proving different. Events seemed to be conspiring against his every move.

He hadn't stayed inside long this evening after waking up. He wanted to be out, he wanted the fresh air, he wanted to not be around his staff. Or humans at all, for that matter.

So he headed to the very spot that he hated the most - that arena. Now seemed like the perfect time to look at it. In his frustration, he might be moved toward an idea of how to bring it down.

It wasn't often that Beauty was so graceless as to trip, but that's what happened on her way to work that morning. Something came up out of the ground in front of her, or so it seemed, and she stumbled --

-- hands and knees landed, not on the City's park grass, but on broken pavement. The light had changed; the shadows had changed; and the location had definitely changed. This wasn't any part of the City she'd ever been in before. Gingerly picking herself up, she gently dusted off the dirt from her thin white skirt, then tapped each toe of her open-toed sandals against the pavement to free dirt and small stones from under her feet. As set to rights as she was going to be, she lifted her palms one after the other and blew on the lacerations.

Her walking became slower, more meandering than purposeful.... she had no idea where she'd been put, or why... "Thomas?" she asked below her breath, reverting to the name she always called the City when she was feeling a little uncertain. But unlike most times, she didn't get a reply. Perhaps it was busy, the City. She swallowed, then wandered some more. Every so often, she thought she saw movement in alleyways she passed or in windows she walked under... but when she turned to look, there was no one.

John walked the perimeter of the town, a rifle slung high over his shoulder.

He hadn't meant to keep patrolling ,especially once the weird effect on his senses and mind had died down. He'd settled down and started to sleep more peacefully again, and didn't feel the need to be on the move, but it seemed that once you got on the guard rotation they didn't want to let you go. And John wasn't the sort to turn down a request for his help.

The weapon on his back was natural, as a part of him as his boots and collar. Sure, it was a time from his past that he tried to move on from, but he never denied the service he'd been part of. He was proud of his accomplishments and thankful that the military had turned his life around, even if he'd left it for more peaceful pursuits.

So, when they asked for him again, he'd accepted and showed up, even when the man who was supposed to act as his partner for the shift didn't. That didn't bother the pastor too much, and he'd set off on his patrol anyway, just glad that whatever had been affecting him earlier was gone. It was probably some of the food he'd eaten, and he'd resolved to take more care with what he ate and what he passed up here. Quite frankly, he didn't like being all hopped up and unable to sleep without having very inappropriate, if enjoyable, dreams.

The night air pushed his hair to the side, and he took a deep breath. The woods weren't that bad. Neither was the city. He'd been worse places with much worse people, and it was cathartic to be on the move again. Relaxing, even if every sense he had was straining and keeping alert for any sign of movement from the treeline.